We propose a 3-year plan to monitor the establishment and growth of the Camas Meadow recently installed as part of the new Burke Museums site development. The purpose of this monitoring is to develop a strategic, long-term management plan to assist UW Grounds in mitigating increased costs for maintenance while ensuring the ecological viability and sustainability of the project. Our proposal is grounded in a collaborative approach to support educational goals, and will work with a committed stakeholder group which includes students, a faculty member (Landscape Architecture), the Burke museum, UW Grounds, wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ (Intellectual House), Urban@UW, Oxbow Nursery, and GGN (landscape architecture firm). The project further proposes working with our project partners to develop interpretive strategies and communication plans of the environment as part of the Burke Museum’s mission to educate the public on the natural history of the Salish Sea Region. As part of this process we propose hosting annual student-led workdays open to the UW community and broader public to be timed with the bloom of the camas plants (April) and harvest of the camas bulbs (June/July).
In a recent survey, it was estimated that in the early stages of Euro-American settlement in the Cascade region there were more than 5,000 acres of prairie habitat of what is today King County.[1] Though not a dominant ecosystem type within the region the prairies offered critical habitat for many plant, insect and animal species, while further providing resources and nourishment of native communities and peoples. [2] Today, very little of the historical extent of prairies in the region remains, with only a few scattered remnant patches of any significance in size and the plant communities of both have been heavily impacted by the encroachment of invasive grass species. [3]
The landscape design for the Burke Museum included eighty thousand native plants. Most of these plants were propagated by locally collected seed. For example, much of the camas seed was collected on a small island in the San Juans and the bulbs were nurtured for up to four years in a nursery prior to planting. Establishment and growth of the plants community in the project will be tested against varying management including hand weeding, mowing, and potentially controlled burning. The results of the monitoring research will be compiled into a findings report, that will include a recommended maintenance manual to be shared with UW Grounds, and other land management and design teams interested in understanding how to establish and nourish this rare habitat type. The proposal for three years of monitoring, includes the seasonal employment of five students, the establishment of a long-term management plan, the development and implementation of interpretive strategies, and student-led work days for public education totals $21,720.
[1] Perasso, David (2018) “Prairies in King County?” (Report), Accessed 2.26/2020; https://davidperasso.net/Camas_Field_files/kingCoPrairies.pdf
[2] Kruckeberg, Arthur R. (1991) The Natural History of Puget Sound Country. (Seattle: University of Washington Press), pp. 284 – 290.
[3] See Perasso, 2018 and Floberg, J. et al. (2004) “Wilamette Valley-Puget Trough-Georgia Basin Ecoregional Assessment, Volume One (Report), Prepared for The Nature Conservancy with support from the Nature Conservancy Canada, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Oregon State Natural Heritage Information Center and the British Columbia Conservation Data Centre. Accessed 2.26/2020